


Little Things

by WhoknewZeus



Category: One Direction
Genre: I love this ship, M/M, One-Shot, it went terrible, love y'all's, oh well, screw everyone that disagrees, so much, this required too much of my time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-03
Updated: 2014-08-03
Packaged: 2018-02-11 13:56:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2070849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhoknewZeus/pseuds/WhoknewZeus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall goes on a personal vacation because he needs to sort out his feelings for Liam. He comes back with an unexpected surprise. (Sorry for cliche, and I meant no sexual innuendo there.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little Things

**Author's Note:**

> This story seriously took a lot of time to construct, and I did not expect that. I was originally inspired to write this particular scene/plot when I was re-watching this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnOvIwCmT1A Shameless (US version) is amazing!
> 
> Niam feels and I want to express them all instead of working on my Cashton story and other stuff! hahaha... sigh... I read so much Niam these past days and now I gotta let them out. No hard feelings for Sophia and Liam! She is just wonderful and her current relationship with Liam is amazing. Sorry that this came out a little long... Please enjoy~

Niall pulled his heavy luggage across the street, walking down numerous crosswalks and people. It snowed and everyone had places to go, so they didn't care much about his presence. A crown of snow formed on Niall's quiff, and he seldom shook his head. The thin layer of snow on the concrete floor crunched as Niall walked over it. There was an occasional honk from a car or two, and the wind that zooms around his face when a car speeds past him.

He pulled his scarf to past his mouth, trying to warm up his shivering body. He should have called a taxi or asked a ride from their chauffeur, but he wanted to get to the airport on his own. He knew he would probably regret his decision when the sun comes back. Until then, he had the moon and stars to accompany him on his runaway.

Niall's phone rang and beeped, but he didn't want to pick it up. Although, he did sent a few texts with someone before he looked up at the snow dropping elegantly and tenderly. One flake touched the ridge of his nose, and another made contact with his left cheek. He slid the phone back into his pocket and continued to the observe the snow.

He giggled to himself as the annoying device continued to beep. Fishing the phone out of his pocket again, he declined the call and ignored all the texts. He shut off his phone and smiled because it was for the best for him.

Meanwhile, Niall's band mates were in a obtrusive limo cruising through multiple streets to find the Irish. All the members sent ample texts to Niall, but no luck of receiving a response from their missing friend.

"He's fine, Liam. Don't worry," Louis patted the taller member's shoulder.

"Yeah, he's a grown man. He's not weak, Liam," Harry joined to comfort the brunet.

Liam sighed heavily at all of them as he stared blankly at his phone's screen. Zayn continued to text Niall, for he hoped that he would annoy the blond enough to get a text back. He couldn't believe that Niall would leave a letter that just said that he was going on a personal vacation. Nothing else added to the piece of paper. To think that he sneaked out so easily, Liam had to really pay attention to his Irish lad more closely.

Niall waited on the end of a crosswalk and took the chance to shut off his phone. The amount of times his phone rung was enough to haunt him. Rubbing his mitten-covered hands together, he cupped his hands and released a warm breath to heat up his freezing fingers. Weren't mittens supposed to keep him cozy?

The light changed the red hand to a white figure of somebody walking. Niall and a few other people around him began to cross safely across the road. The luggage's wheels caught too much snow in its tracks, and the blond had to drag harder at his bag. He didn't know how that was possible, but he shrugged and slammed his bag on the floor to remove the white powder that was clogging his wheels.

Niall breaths became slower, and his nose caught the scent of roasted coffee beans and hot chocolate. The blond followed the attractive aroma which led him to a packed Starbucks. As Niall entered the store, a limo past by when his back was turned.

* * *

"He must be going to airport then!" Louis exclaimed.

Everyone agreed that it was where Niall was going. Their driver drove stayed at least two numbers lower the speed limit because they were still required to follow the law more than their bosses excessively yelling at him to go faster. When they arrived, everyone quickly got out of the limo and rushed inside. They examined the crowd and looked specifically for their blond friend. They split up to cover more ground and hopefully find the Irish member.

Liam rushed through groups of people. He did not dare to yell the Irish member's name, for it would attract too much attention to him. And if enough people knew who he was, or who he was calling, they would surround him and inhibit him from finding his best friend. It would be terrible if the paparazzi came, then he would not be able to do what he needs to do anymore. Luckily, their chauffeur drove away to make it unobtrusive that almost all of One Direction was at the airport.

Liam heard a clamor behind him, and he was afraid to turn around because he desperately wanted to find Niall. As he spun his body around, he was shocked to see Zayn, Louis, and Harry distracting a rather large group of fans. Liam wanted to be worried about the dangers the guys put themselves in, but he put his trust that his friends were able to handle themselves. He took the opportunity they provided to search for his missing best friend.

"You think he'll thank us?" Harry whispered to Louis.

"He fucking better," Louis answered lowly, though the screaming girls were blocking their voices from being heard anyway.

"I really wasn't in the mood to sign pictures and hug all these fans right now," Zayn commented, as the other members nodded their heads while cameras flashed in almost every direction.

* * *

Niall sucked on the small opening on the lid, vacuuming the steamy liquid gently into his mouth. His mind subconsciously thought about Liam, and he could instantly feel his heart aching for the brunet. He needed a quick vacation to help piece his heart back together, for it was leaving trails of itself everywhere he went.

He sipped carefully at his drink and looked out the glass window to watch passersby flood from left and right. Niall observed the different emotions each person held. Some had happy faces as they walked a little slower than others. Some had irritated expressions and walked faster than most people. Lastly, there was the people with their lips in a position where it was not happy nor sad. They were the ones that caught Niall's attention the most because they were walking as fast the irritated people, but they just look like they have nowhere special to attend and have no reason to walk that fast. It fascinated the young man about what was the reason behind their emotion.

He took another sip of his hot chocolate and noticed it was almost empty. He sat patiently as the snow fall swayed slowly in the air until it collided to the ground. Niall heard a child speak in a soft voice from the entrance. The voice belonged to a little boy and accompanying him was his mother. Niall stared at the both of them as they entered humbly and crossed to the cashier counter.

Niall smiled as the two seemed so happy with their life. He thought about his family and his home before realizing he had a plane to board. Niall chugged the remaining amount of his beverage and exited the Starbucks with mild speed. He couldn't be late for his flight.

* * *

Liam dashed in one direction (ahahaha, didn't realize that until after writing it) after another, and he couldn't find his favorite Irish friend. He pleaded to God that he would find Niall because he would hate to have their friendship end horribly with one hating the other. He did not want to stomach that feeling.

He ran around until security had to halt him. They quickly realized that he was Liam James Payne from One Direction, and they had to apologize for the inconvenience. Liam informed the security about his band's predicament, and they nodded as they promised to help him find Niall. The brunet thanked them before going off to search for his blond again.

After hopelessly wandering, Liam soon ended up at the boarding lounge. He took a random seat at the back and contemplated where to go next. He had to apologize to Niall. All he did was tell his best friend that he was going to cancel their plans for tonight to go on a dinner date with Sophie. Niall didn't have to take it so seriously and irrationally.

"Where are you, Niall?" Liam spoke his thoughts aloud. He didn't care if someone thought he was weird, or if they wanted an autograph. He decided to text Niall once last time before.

_To Nialler: I'm in the waiting area at the airport. Please, let's talk :c_

* * *

Niall entered the airport and noticed a plethora of people crowding something on the side. He shrugged and moved along. He waited in line to have his items and himself scanned for illicit objects. A couple of people gave him suspicious looks, but they continued on their way. Niall had his black velvet scarf covering half his face, and a thick beanie that he took out from his bag to warm his head.

He got through security smoothly, and his cover went by undetected. He headed straight for the boarding lounge to await his flight. Upon arriving, he had a little nostalgia when he saw all the unused seats and remembered the trips the band had around the world. He walked down the aisle until he took a seat at the near the front.

Boredom reaching his thoughts; Niall had to entertain himself without his phone because he wanted to save the battery for his flight. He wondered what Liam was doing while he was about to board a flight to his haven soon. Did Liam go on his date with Sophia? Oh well.

A flight to Ireland was mentioned through the intercom, and Liam immediately jumped off his seat and walked to the boarding gate. Niall got up as well and pulled the handle of his luggage.

Liam scanned everyone that was entering the plane. His eyes tried to look for a blond hair with brown roots and eyes that could drown him like the ocean. When the last person boarded, Liam grunted as he walked inside to double check for Niall. Meanwhile, the Irish member calmly walked out of the bathroom and went back to his seat in the waiting lounge.

Fortunately, the employees that were checking everyone's tickets allowed Liam to go through since they were big fans of the band. They understood the situation and warned Liam that if he did not get out when the plane leaves, then he would have to face the consequences.

Liam speed-walked through the aisle, trying to recognize a certain someone's face. His heart entered a panicked state, and it pumped faster every time the brunet did not see Niall's face in the rows of people. One of his biggest fears was losing Niall, and it was silly to think how dependent that sounded to him. However, he could not deny that it was stark true. He whipped out his phone from his pocket and began texting Niall endlessly, then sending Zayn, Louis, and Harry a few texts to see if they found the Irish.

Niall never responded but the others did. They all replied with the same thing:  _no_. "Please fasten your seat belts. We are about to take off," a polite, mannered woman stated from the airplane's speaker. Everyone shifted around and clicking sounds were almost being synchronized among them. Liam was forced to sit down, but his heart faced a new reason to panic.

"Shit."

Meantime, Niall heard the intercom person's voice again. They said the flight to L.A. was leaving shortly. Niall sighed as he took his stuff and went off in the direction to his plane. He called 5sos earlier since they were living in L.A. for time being to work on their album. He asked if he could stay at their place, they happily agreed. Niall also told them to keep it a secret since he needed time to relax and think things over. They agreed to that as well.

* * *

It had been two weeks since Niall left, and he was enjoying his time sitting on the couch. He lived with 5 Seconds of Summer until he felt ready to confront Liam. They didn't mind since they liked Niall a lot. There was rumors proliferating that the band was breaking up, but the media was far from the truth since Niall would never leave One Direction without a logical reason.

Niall already talked to management about his situation. They were not happy about it at first, but they gave Niall some slack since he had been working diligently for a couple years now. Niall always ignored texts from the band members and answered the ones that were from his family.

He told his parents to understand that he was staying at a really safe place. It took quite some time on the phone before they were persuaded to let their son stay without knowing where exactly he was. Luke came into the living room and plopped next to Niall.

"Whatcha watchin'?" Luke asked, putting his feet upon the coffee table.

"I duuno," Niall replied, watching Channing Tatum shirtless and eating pizza as the hunk picked up, what Niall assumed was, a stray cat.

"You're watching  _The Vow_! I love this movie!" Luke bounced happily on the couch.

"Great, another romance movie," Niall rolled his eyes and almost changed the channel.

"It's not a bad movie, you know? It actually is pretty heartwarming," Luke pointed out.

Niall thought about it, and he decided to finish the movie even if he wasn't paying enough attention halfway through it. Luke better be right about the movie, or else Niall would be wasting another forty minutes of his life.

* * *

During those two week, Liam was back at home after having an awkward trip to Ireland. He did visit Niall's parents and checked in with them to see if his best friend was home. Unfortunately, Niall was not there. His parents did not even know where their son was hiding, but they knew he was safe. Liam went home immediately afterwards and sulked in the blond's room.

Sophia tried coming over a few times to cheer Liam up, but it was vain. She eventually gave up and told him that he shouldn't be that attached to somebody if they are just a friend. It was that thought that made everything click in Liam's head. He was supposed to move on and let Niall handle his personal business.

A normal friend wouldn't chase after their friend at the airport. They did not do those type of things. A normal friend wouldn't go on a plane to Ireland and visit their parent's. They did not do those type of things. So what did that make Liam to be? Or to phrase it better, what was Liam's intentions with Niall? Niall was a grown-up and so was Liam. Why was he going around chasing him like a child?

He opened his eyes to the truth that was always in front of him. He was in love with Niall. He couldn't believe that he was so blind about the whole thing. He never thought of it that way before. Though, it would explain why he favored Niall over a lot of things.

And to think, he was ignoring Niall before the Irish left. That was a rude awakening for the brunet. When Niall wanted to hang out because he was lonely, Liam politely refused. When Niall wanted to go out to the gym, Liam would say another time. And when Niall needed Liam because he was scared to sleep alone after watching a horror movie, Liam was off to go see Sophia.

How was he going to face Niall with these new feelings that have been dormant for so long? Spontaneously, Zayn, Louis, and Harry walked in.

"Hey there."

* * *

Niall and Luke finally finished  _The Vow_. Niall was crying a little while Luke bawled his eye sockets. Funny enough, Luke already seen the movie, so it made no sense to Niall why he was crying so hard.

Calum came in and gave the two blond's a bewildered face. "Do I want to know what's going on?"

"Get me some tissues, Cal. Please?" Luke muttered, wiping trails off his face with his t-shirt.

"You'll be fine," Calum shrugged, taking a seat next to Luke. "So what's up with you, Niall?"

Niall lifted his shoulders and dropped them. Luke took a final sniffle before he was ready to discuss anything serious. Calum expelled his breath and stared at Irish man with indifference. "You've been here for two weeks. Stop hiding."

"What is there to hide?" Niall questioned back.

"Leave soon. Talk to Liam about these feelings, you weirdo!" Calum rasied his voice, stressing the importance of his words.

"I can't do-"

"Come on, Niall! You've done nothing but sulk on the couch and watch the telly," Luke finally spoke up.

"He's got Sophia. I'll be fine with these feelings," Niall tried to assure them, but that was not working on them.

Both 5sos members bug-eyed him. Calum transitioned his attention to Luke, and they both nodded their head as if they read each other's mind.

"So, you are telling us that you don't want the possibility of doing  _this_ with him?" Calum asked, scooting closer to Luke. The noir wrapped his arms around the other member's neck and cuddled awkwardly.

"Or maybe you want to get a little sexy with him," Luke commented, kissing a mark on Calum's neck.

"Okay, if this gets past pg rating, I'm out," Niall pointed at them seriously. They laughed at the Irish like he told them a well-done joke.

"Don't lie to us because you know that we are right," Calum snickered, placing himself on Luke's lap as the taller member wrapped his arms around Calum's waist.

"And I thought our band had some serious sexual tension," Niall remarked on their proximity.

Calum and Luke took it nonchalantly. Their only defense was that they were used to being intimate with each member without feeling any real attraction. They were right, though. Niall couldn't deny that. He wanted Liam as much as he wanted food.

Niall curled up in a ball and became uncommunicative. Calum and Luke pushed their luck by scooting closer to Niall. They had hoped that maybe Niall needed somebody to help untangle unspoken feelings. "Would you like to this with Liam?" Calum said, catching Niall's attention again.

Calum turned to face Luke and pulled him into a quick kiss. Niall's eyes couldn't believe what he was seeing. The Irish had never met anyone as ambiguous about their sexuality as the members of 5 Seconds of Summer. He didn't mind, but he still questioned what they really were.

Luke wanted to deepen the kiss, but he didn't want to push Niall away for sexual desire. Niall still had the same reaction as Calum and Luke awaited for an answer to the question. Without having to remind Niall with words, the Irish nodded his head as he averted eye contact.

"Good. Now get the hell out of here and face Liam!" Calum emphasized loudly.

Niall hurriedly went to pack his stuff and rush to the nearest airport. Luke and Calum eyed at each other with a smile. "You think Niall thinks we are dating?" Luke asked.

"Probably, but he would wrong anyways," Calum chuckled.

"You have to admit that our closeness with each other is quite scary," Luke retorted.

"Yeah, oh well."

* * *

Liam texted Niall another message. He hoped for a response once again. Sadly, it would always end with the same response. Nothing.

He could send a dozen texts and still receive the silence. He almost cried for each day Niall didn't reply. Liam dearly missed his Irish best friend, but he missed him in the way that is anything but platonic. He had no knowledge of what Niall was doing, or the day Niall would come back. It was the same uncertainty that killed his spirits, and it was the same uncertainty that made him treasure Niall even more.

He stopped seeing Sophia, but he remained friends with her after telling her what he realized. She was a little upset and disappointed since he led her on, but she accepted his offer of being friends. She even wished the best of luck to him with wooing Niall.

"Just one more text," Liam anxiously muttered, tapping his fingers away at the touch screen of his iPhone.

_To Niall: I'm worried sick about you. Please respond... FaceTime me or something, Ni! I need to know you're safe. Please? :'C_

The brunet stopped caring if he was sounding desperate. If that was what it took to bring their Irish member back, he'll be the most neediest person out there. He didn't mind!

The snowfall collected on the window glass. The room remained in the quietness as time drifted by. Liam just needed to wait and hope that tomorrow would be the day Niall came back.

* * *

Niall was going to miss the sunny weather of California, despite the winter season, and back to where the absence of heat is almost everywhere. He certainly did not miss that.

He did like the snow that continued to fall as he was back home. He exited his plane's terminal and took out his scarf from his luggage. He wrapped the article of clothing around his neck, and he took out his beanie. He secured the head accessory on and resumed his way back home. Niall exited the airport and started walking the familiar route to the house. Once again, no one really spared a glance at him to recognize who he was as they hurried across streets and entered buildings.

He sighed as snowflakes laid peacefully upon his beanie and shoulders. Niall wondered if the guys would be glad to see him, or they would possibly trample him with concerned questions and pent-up anger. He did leave without their consent, but he did leave a note about it.

Eventually, Niall past by the same Starbucks store he had had went to before leaving to L.A. It was as pack as ever. He decided to go in again since it would be his only respite before he was back with the boys. Meanwhile, Liam was walking to grab everyone back home coffees and snacks. He noticed a few cafes that would seem nice to dine in, but he contemplated over it was really worth it.

Niall got his vanilla bean frappe without whipped cream. He took the same seat from last time where he had a window view of all the people passing by. He swirled his straw around and thought about what Liam was doing. At that exact moment, Liam entered Starbucks and went to the ordering counter.

Niall never looked away from his view and never noticed Liam's entrance.

"Your change, sir," The barista chirped as she handed it to Liam. The brunet smiled and thanked her.

Too many people were so focused on their phones that they didn't notice Liam James Payne enter the store. However, it wasn't like he minded though. He liked it when he would be treated like he was not the media's favorite target. While he waited for his order to be made, he looked for an open seat.

No one had a vacant seat for him to take, but one person did. They were by the corner near the front and by the window. He didn't want to freak them out as the person looked contently out the , he would like to sit down while waiting. He swallowed down his nervousness and walked up to the stranger. Before sliding in the seat next to the guy, Liam noticed something familiar about him.

"Excuse me, may I take this seat?" Liam cautiously asked.

Niall snapped back to reality and looked at Liam with utter surprise. Liam returned the same expression when he noticed it was his Irish best friend.

"Oh shit," Niall muttered as he shook his head.

"Niall! Where in heaven's name have you been? I've been looking for you when you left. I went to your parents house in Ireland. I talked to them, but they didn't know where you were. I waited for you to come back. Jesus Christ, Ni. I missed you," Liam rambled as his eyes looked instantly cloudy.

"Whoa there, calm down, lad," Niall remarked. The chance to tell him where and why he was gone on a personal vacation presented itself, but Niall didn't take it. He wasn't expecting to meet Liam so soon, for he thought he had time to string together on what to say.

Liam was trembled slightly as his eyes couldn't believe he was seeing Niall again. He was a little freaked out on how indifferent Niall was. Did the Irish member really had no remorse for what he did, or the effects it caused?

"Nialler, do you hate the boys? Do you," Liam choked a little, "hate me?"

"Oh God, Liam. Please, let's just wait until we get somewhere more private," Niall stated, looking more annoyed than anything.

"Fine. Fair enough with me. Just wait until I get all the guys' orders first."

* * *

Niall and Liam walked down a crosswalk together as they carried their respective items. Niall had his luggage, and Liam had his a bag full sandwiches and held a cup holder tray with four coffees occupying it. Liam was thinking he was just running an errand, but he wouldn't have thought he would meet Niall along the way.

Fortunately, Niall carried around an extra scarf and beanie. He gave it to Liam to help the fellow fight the weather because Liam was dressed poorly for the conditions. A tight flannel and black skinny jeans are not exactly winter-prepared clothing.

"And you are sure you're not dying of frostbite?" Niall asked, not glancing over to Liam as they walk back home.

"Nope. Thanks for the scarf and beanie, it certainly is helping me."

"Of course. Just be more aware of the weather, big guy," Niall uttered, showing his concern for Liam's welfare.

The streets filled with people slowly dissipated, and only a few were walking around. Niall and Liam were by the front door of their house. Niall kind of wanted to go inside, but he also didn't want to go inside. He missed Harry's hugs, Louis' jokes, and Zayn's comforting presence. But he didn't want to face the loaded questions they would ask him.

Niall almost started a sentence, but he stopped when the doubt came back in his head. He was going to tell Liam what he was feeling. The life-changing truth that determines if their friendship will upgrade or deteriorate.

"Liam," Niall called, making Liam focus on him for a few seconds, "I really, really like you."

"Wh-What did you say?"

"I like you, Li," Niall reiterated, facing down at his shoes.

Liam froze immediately, trying to not cast his eyes away from Niall. His mouth was left a small gap between his lips. Speechless of what to say, Liam couldn't stop thinking about his chances of having Niall increasing by tenfold!

"Thank God, then," Liam sighed in relief, slapping both his hands on Niall's cheeks and pulling their faces together.

When their lips collided, Niall was the one to freeze now. Liam's used a little force to move Niall towards the door and slammed him against it. Niall whined at the feeling, but Liam's tongue shut him up quite well.

"Who bangs the door that ha-" Louis opened the door, which caused the two members leaning against it to fall through. "Liam?"

Once the taller member got off the ground, Louis was able to distinguish the other person that was under Liam. "Niall! Holy shit!"

"Um, hi," Niall awkwardly waved as he stood up again. Louis quickly embraced the Irish member before the rest of them came rushing to see if what Louis shouted was true.

Harry eventually came dashing at them along with Zayn. They piled upon Niall and ended up on the floor together in a blob of arms and legs. Liam laughed at them as he was perfectly safe from the group hug. Niall giggled as they wormed around a little. He knew he was going to have answer a lot of questions, but he was ready for all of it.

"Welcome home, Nialler," Liam winked, causing Niall to blush a tad.

**Author's Note:**

> I was not expecting this to come out about 4.8k words, but I did it anyways. Oh well, whatever. I know, I know, I should have not rushed things or done a few (if not many) things differently, but I was just writing this for fun. Nothing to take so seriously. Enjoy your day/night!


End file.
